This Gluten Free Flag Cookie Cake, built from chewy chocolate chip cookie bars and finished with classic buttercream, is an easy and festive dessert perfect for patriotic celebrations.
Summer flies by, but the Fourth of July is a great excuse to slow down and bake something fun. If you enjoy baking and serving crowd-pleasing desserts, this flag cookie cake delivers on flavor, texture, and presentation. It’s gluten free, chewy in the center, slightly crisp around the edges, and topped with creamy buttercream that you can tint red and blue for a classic American flag look.
Why you should make this cake
- A cookie cake offers big flavor in an easy, shareable format.
- The recipe is straightforward and doesn’t require a mixer.
- The bars are soft and chewy with plenty of chocolate chips.
- It’s festive and perfect for patriotic gatherings.
Ingredients you’ll need for this flag cake
- Kim’s gluten free all-purpose flour blend (or a tested store-bought blend)
- Cornstarch — keeps the bars tender
- Melted butter — makes the bars chewy and eliminates the need for a mixer
- Eggs — the whole egg binds, extra yolks add richness
- Light brown and granulated sugar — together they create a soft, chewy texture
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Vanilla extract
- American buttercream for decorating
Let’s bake this cookie cake
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment and set aside. Whisk the flour blend, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk melted butter with light brown and granulated sugar until fairly smooth.
- Step 3: Add the eggs, extra yolks, and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
- Step 4: Fold in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips until a thick dough forms.
- Step 5: Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing to an even layer.
- Step 6: Bake 30–35 minutes, until light golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Step 7: Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. If edges puffed, press gently right after baking to even the thickness.
Decorating the cake
- Step 1: Make American buttercream, then divide into three portions. Leave one white, tint the others red and blue, and fit each into a pastry bag with a star tip.
- Step 2: Pipe a blue rectangle for the canton, then use white and red to pipe stars and stripes to create a flag design. When decorated, cut into 2 x 2-inch squares to serve.
Cookie cake FAQs
Yes. Serve the bars plain or stir patriotic sprinkles or M&M’s into the dough before baking for extra color.
Yes. Use a 9 x 9-inch pan and reduce bake time, checking around 28 minutes.
Stored in an airtight container, the bars keep up to 5 days.
More gluten free bar recipes
- Gluten free oatmeal peanut butter bars
- Gluten free s’mores bars
- Perfect gluten free lemon bars
- No bake peanut butter bars (Buckeye bars)
- Gluten free scotcheroos
- Gluten free sheet pan brownies
- Gluten free caramel brownies
Don’t skip the buttercream — whether you make it from scratch or use a high-quality store-bought frosting, it transforms these cookie bars into a festive, crowd-pleasing dessert.
Flag Cookie Cake (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560g) Kim’s gluten free all purpose flour blend (a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn’t been tested)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (339g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 cup (400g) light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ recipe American buttercream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper with edges so it will be easy to lift the bars out of the pan; set aside.
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Whisk together the flour blend, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt; set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with both sugars until fairly smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks and vanilla extract, continuing to whisk until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until a thick dough forms.
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Spread dough out into an even layer in lined baking pan, pressing down with your fingers if necessary to get it smooth on top.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
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Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out of the pan (using the parchment).
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To decorate, make buttercream and divide into three portions. Leave one white and color the other two red and blue. Fill pastry bags fitted with large open star tips with each color and pipe an American flag design.
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When ready to serve, cut into small 2 by 2-inch bars and serve.
Notes
Cookie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months; thaw before baking.